A success story unfolded at the Norfolk Transfer Station last Friday, December 4, when town and state officials, as well as industry representatives, gathered to cut a bright red ribbon, officially dedicating the 13-acre solar array that encircles the town facility.
The multi-year project began when First Selectman Matt Riiska established the Norfolk Energy Advisory Committee in 2018. Lodestar of Avon won the competitive bid for the project, and it was approved at town meeting in 2022. The project was later sold to New Jersey Resources Clean Energy Ventures and was constructed by CTEC Solar, a Bloomfield-based company.
The town receives $42,000 a year for leasing the land, a sum that will increase annually by 1.5 percent.
Riiska addressed those that gathered on a frigid, blustery day, saying he was happy to have worked with all involved. He thanked the various participants for their roles, noting that the town’s consultant, Kirt Mayland “was invaluable to this project’s success.”
The five-megawatt solar project consists of 9,300 solar panels and can generate enough power to meet the annual electrical needs of 870 homes while drastically reducing emissions.